Pill-making machine



No. 6l3,758. Patented Nov. 8, I898. E. C. CLARK.

PILL MAKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 17, 1897.)

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NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ERNEST O. CLARK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PILL-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,758, dated November 8, 1898.

Application filed D er 17; 1397- $erifl1 No, 662,268. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Ennnsr C. CLARK, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pill-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the construction of a machine for making spherical or substantially spherical pills by dies, such machine comprising a spherical die or mold havin g a filling-passage of less diameter than the mold and a die or tamping-tool working therein adapted to compress the material from the filling-passage into the mold.

The invention further consists in the construction of the parts so that the plunger or die may make several compressions or a partial compression or compressions before makin g the final compression,whereby the amount of material or compression may be varied at will in pills of uniform size.

The invention further consists in the construction of the mold in sections, whereby it may be opened to discharge the finished article, and, further, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line w m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section similar to Fig. 1, showing the dies in their open position.

In the present state of the art machines have been devised for making pills which comprise two cup-shaped (or. semispherical) dies, between which the powder (or other material) is com pressed. These machines, so far as I am aware, were open to one of two objections. First, the edge of the die was made very thin, so as to have the least possible contacting surface on the dies. These are so liable to break as to make them undesirable, and even these meeting edges compress a small portion of powder between them and make a flange or ring around the pills, which either must be removed or make the pills unsalable. Second, the dies have appreciable meeting edges around the cups,

which makes a decided ring or flange, which must be removed. These devices are not practical for making friable pills-that is, pills such as quinine, &c., which are not coated. My device overcomes the objections to these machines, and is adapted for long continued use without danger of breakage, and makes the pills perfectly smooththat is, free from rings or flanges-so that they can be marketed without coating.

A represents the supporting-frame. B is a shaft projecting therefrom. O is a head rotating on this shaft. This head comprises a table D, a die-support E, and a neck F, connecting the two. The table is provided with one or more apertures G, which form what I call feed apertures or passages, and which lead to molds 1-1. These molds I call spherical molds; but I do not mean by that only spheres, but all round pills, whether oval or other shapes, which are substantially spherical, as contradistinguished from flat tablets.

The molds I make up in sections, such as a, which has a semispherical opening and is secured stationarily to the table, and the section I), which has a complementary opening. The section b is movable, sliding in suitable radial guides c in opening and closing, being moved by means of the flange or lug d, runningin a camway e, which at the proper point or points has the irregular path t', which draws it out and in. Opposite the point or points where the compression takes place I preferably apply a roller 7t to relieve the lug of the thrust. These sections of the mold open wide enough, as shown in Fig. 4, to allow the pill to drop out. To insure a positive discharge of the pill, I may arrange a stationary finger I in the path of the opening between the mold-sections to insure this discharge.

On the table D isa feed frame or frames, which may be of any desired construction, to feed the material into the apertures G. This I have shown accomplished by means of the converging wings J, the material being fed onto the table, which moves, the wings being stationary.

I have shown two feed-frames arranged at opposite points, so that at two points in the rotation of the table the material will be fed into the apertures. In many instances but a single feedframe will be required and a single compression; but in some instances a double compression will be desirable, and in this case I prefer to employ the double feed-frame-that is, the feeding at two points. This double compression I use where the material is very light, for instance, and a single compression will not give me the desired quantity in a pellet of a given size, or I may use it for a perfect graduation as to the amount of the material used in the pellet.

In the upper head or die support E are a series of dies or plnngers K, the heads of which run in a camway L. This camway in the construction shown has two points of depression. The initial compressing point preferably has an adjustable cam M, so that the compression may be varied at will, while the final compression is effected by moving the die down, so that its lower end forms a complementary part of the sphere with the mold, as plainly shown at the left hand in Fig. 1. To reduce the friction, I preferably arrange a roller N at this point.

The parts being thus constructed, their operation is as follows: The material is fed into the feedframes from any suitable sourcesuch as, for instance, the feed spouts O, which are shown in Fig. 2. Motion is imparted to the head, and as the apertures G pass under the first feed-frame the material will fall therein and fill itloosely. When the aperture reaches the point of initial compression, the die will be lowered to a greater or less extent, making the desired compression, as shown in Fig. 1 at the right hand. The die being retracted in the travel of the head, the aperture with the partially-compressed material will pass under the second feedframe and again be filled. The amount filled in the second time will be proportioned to the amount of the first compression. The mold and its feed-passage thus filled will pass out from the second feed-frame, and the die will then be lowered for final compression to form a sphere, as shown at the left hand in Fig. 1. In the further travel of the head the two mold-sections will be separated, as shown in Fig. 4, and the pellet will drop out. The

mold-sections will then close and the operation be repeated.

It will be seen by an inspection of the draw ings,in connection with the description given, that my invention contemplates the use of a mold with a die entering that mold through a feed passage or aperture, the feed-passage being of less diameter than the diameter of the mold. The lower end of the die forms in its lower position a complementary portion of a mold of the shape of which the article is to be formed.

By this construction of parts I overcome the objections heretofore outlined and I also bring less shock and wear on theanachine, for at no time does the movable die press directly against metal surfaces-that is, even in its lowest point of compression the die works solely upon the material.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a pill-making machine, the combina tion of a spherical mold, a feed-passage leading thereto, of less diameter than the mold and a die working in the feed-passage, which forms a complementary part of the mold.

2. In a pill-making machine, the combination of a sectional mold, a feed-passage lead ing thereto, of less diameter than the mold, a die working therein, and means for opening and closing the sections of the mold.

3. In a pill-making machine, the combination of a movable head carrying a sectional mold, a feed-passage leading thereto, 01": less diameter than the mold,a die working therein, means for effecting two compressions of the material in the mold, means for filling the passage before'an d after the first compression, and means for opening and closing the mold after the last die movement and before the refilling.

4. In a pill-making machine, the combination of a movable head, a sectional mold carried thereby, having a feed-opening leading thereto, means for opening and closing said mold, a synchronously-moving die, means for initially and freely actuating the die, means for filling the mold between the die actuation, and means for adjusting the movement of the die in the initial compression.

I11 testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST C. CLARK.

'Witn esses:

M. B. ODoeHER'rY, Orro F. BARTHEL. 

